A static vane ring generally includes a plurality of radial struts extending between and interconnecting outer and inner duct walls of the vane ring. In a fabricated sheet metal construction, at least the struts are made of sheet metal and connected by welding to the respective outer and inner duct walls. As schematically illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 an end of the strut is conventionally directly welded to the respective outer and inner duct walls of the vane ring. A sharp corner at the junction of the strut and the duct wall may be formed by such welds, which may result in difficulties controlling the fillet radius of the joint between the strut and the duct walls. In addition, static vane rings made from sheet metal may present other engineering challenges such as thin walls which may compromise the vane from an aerodynamic and static structures/lifing standpoint.
Accordingly, there is ever a need to provide improved vane rings for gas turbine engines.